The International Reading Association applauds gains in reading as evidenced by new results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (The Nation's Report Card), but notes that much work remains to be done, especially in reducing the significant achievement gap that remains among major racial/ethnic groups.

"The NAEP reading results indicate that we need to increase our efforts to provide ongoing, high-quality professional development in reading to educators at all levels, from elementary school through high school," said International Reading Association President Patricia A. Edwards, a Distinguished Professor of Teacher Education at Michigan State University. "We would anticipate that this would result in helping to close the achievement gap and helping students meet standards."

"Furthermore, the results indicate a need for increased emphasis on supporting children living in poverty, English language learners, and struggling readers," Edwards added. "As the United States pushes to increase achievement levels and graduation rates, we need to focus on helping students develop advanced reading skills such as inferential thinking and problem solving and to apply these skills in a wide variety of content areas, including math, science, and social studies."

The overall average reading score for 12th graders in 2009 was 2 points higher than in 2005, but 4 points lower than in 1992. Seventy-four percent of students performed at or above the Basic level, 38% performed at or above the Proficient level, and 5% performed at the Advanced level.

Score gaps in reading persisted between White students and their Black and Hispanic peers. Neither the 27-point score gap in 2009 between White and Black students nor the 22-point gap between White and Hispanic students was significantly different from the score gap in previous assessment years.

Approximately 52,000 students took part in this assessment, and they were asked to read both literary and informational texts and then answer questions aligned with three reading behaviors, or cognitive targets: locate and recall, integrate and interpret, and critique and evaluate. To learn more, visit the Nation's Report Card website.      

The 2010 edition of Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning, an annul review of the status of online instruction in the United States, indicates that online instruction is continuing to grow; however, this growth remains uneven across the country. The latest report indentifies tight budgets, new policy development, and changing technologies as key factors that are accelerating growth of online education in some states, but slowing growth in others.

New York and Delaware are the only two states that do not offer any online classes for K-12 students. Students in the other 48 states and the District of Columbia provide online education programs to some extent. The report also identified that no state provides a full range of opportunities for online instruction, which is defined as both supplemental and full-time options for students of all grade levels. Read the full article on eSchool News online.  

A preschool language intervention program can significantly improve the educational lives of children with poorly developed speech and language skills, according to new research by psychologists at the University of York. 

In the Language 4 Reading project, a team from the University's Department of Psychology evaluated the benefits of a preschool language intervention program for children who enter school with poorly developed speech and language skills.The project, which involved 15 schools and feeder-nurseries across Yorkshire, was a randomized controlled trial funded by the Nuffield Foundation. The program targeted vocabulary knowledge, narrative and listening skills, with phonics work included in the later stages. 

After 30 weeks, the children who had received the intervention showed wide-ranging improvements in expressive language skills, including the use of vocabulary and grammar, while gains in letter-sound knowledge and spelling indicate that the foundations of phonics are in place. Read more of this article in ScienceDaily online

The International Reading Association (IRA), established in 1956 and operating with a $15 million annual budget, seeks a Director of Reading Research to begin on or around July 1, 2011, or sooner. IRA is a professional education nonprofit membership organization dedicated to providing high levels of pre-K to adult literacy professional development products and services, with an emphasis on K-12 teachers, researchers, and teacher educators in the United States. The Association consists of multiple business units dedicated to cooperatively achieving the Association’s mission. They include: Conferences, Membership, Publications (books and journals), Global Affairs, Government Relations, and Member Engagement.

The Director of Reading Research will serve as the senior member of the staff and will be expected to identify and translate cutting-edge reading research into practical content to inform the development and delivery of professional development resources that are aimed at increasing the quality of classroom literacy instruction. The incumbent will provide literacy-related information and analytic support to the Association’s staff in order to facilitate strategic planning and resource allocation.

Requirements: Flexibility to act as an individual contributor as well as excellent leadership skills and ability to work cross-functionally. Proven ability to translate research data into usable professional development information. Project and program management experience with the ability to manage and track a budget. Must be organized, detail oriented, and focused on execution. Outstanding communications skills, both verbal and written. Must have a “can-do” attitude. Earned doctorate in reading or related field.

Please send cover letter and resume by e-mail to the International Reading Association at exec@reading.org. Deadline for application is November 12, 2010. The International Reading Association is an Equal Opportunity Employer. To learn more about IRA, visit the Association's website.

Whether we call it texting, IMing, jotting a note, writing a letter, posting an email, blogging, making a video, building an electronic presentation, composing a memo, keeping a diary, or just pulling together a report, Americans are writing like never before.

Recent research suggests that writing, in its many forms, has become a daily practice for millions of Americans. It may be the quintessential 21st century skill. By collecting a cross-section of everyday writing through a National Gallery of Writing, it is hoped there will be a better understanding of what matters to writers today—and when writing really counts. Understanding who writes, when, how, to whom, and for what purposes will lead to production of improved resources for writers, better strategies to nurture and celebrate writers, and improved policy to support writing.

October 20, 2010 is the National Day on Writing. It is sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of English. On that day, writers from every walk of life will pause to share their work. Communities across the nation are planning events to celebrate writing. For more information, visit the National Day on Writing website.